On a jetty jutting out into the Sea of Japan, toward a pine-covered lighthouse isle, this metal tree of hearts is a rendezvous spot on the NE coast of South Korea. Visitors from all over Asia come to Sokcho to eat seafood and to see where scenes in "Autumn in my Heart," one of the first internationally famous Korean melodramas, were filmed. (The open-mouthed fish-"bench" makes for a curious pairing, no?) To get here from Seoul: catch an 'express bus' from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal or Gangnam Express Bus Terminal. Buses from Gangnam let you off, after a few hours, at the Sokcho Express Bus Terminal, which is just a five minute walk from this jetty. Adjacent is a 1-km-long stretch of white sand popular on weekends. This unpretentious town is still a bit off the beaten path for most foreign visitors, although Seoraksan National Park is just west of Sokcho. The jumble of new construction (and lax zoning laws) gives this port-town kind of a frontier feel, but the people are friendly and the seafood is fresher than fresh.

Anyang, located just outside of Seoul is an incredible place for a day trip. The Anyang Art Park has numerous sites to see including this maze-like staircase. The park, which is situated in a valley, is a perfect way to spend an afternoon in any season.

In the peaceful Korean countryside side the Hwaeom Temple prepares for Buddhas birthday by hanging bright and colorful lanterns. Buddhists from across the region to write personal messages and attach them to the bottoms of the ornate lanterns.

Travelers looking for a rich cultural experience should book a room at a hanok, or traditional Korean home. One of the best, Rak Ko Jae, has fancy touches such as jade floors and a mud sauna. Guests can perform a tea ceremony and make their own kimchi to take home. —Heong Soon Park From $250. This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

Across the street from Asia's largest underground mall, Bong-eun-sa temple still functions as one of Seoul's largest and oldest Buddhist temples. Under the paper lanterns, ritual continues, a counterpoint to the the wired and wifi frenzy in the rest of Korea's capital...

Bukchon Hanok Village offers an old-fashioned Korean hotel experience. You sleep on thick sheets with a hard pillow on a heated floor. Try the Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul (shown) if you want to be pampered. —Heong Soon Park This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

Amidst the almost hypnotic repetition of pattern and color, I spent an afternoon 'lost' in the colonnades of Changdeok-gung Palace. Focusing my vision on architecture in a historical context far removed from my everyday life--one of my favorite ways to get 'lost' on a trip abroad...This immersion in 'the other' is often one of the most refreshing aspects of travel. (for the 'lost' theme in the 'Catch' contest)

Namdaemun Market, the most bustling place in Seoul. Food vendors fly through unnavigable aisles with food stacked on their heads, touts selling their wares and a constant stream of shoppers looking to spot the best bargain. Three things you should buy in Namdaemun; 1. Korean Red Ginseng - POW, potent stuff that keeps you mentally and physically sharp. 2. Gochu Chocolate - A chocolate infused with the spicy Korean pepper, this stuff is affordable and perfect for taking on a plane. 3. Hanboks - Tourist can take home a handmade hanbok (something similar to a Kimono, only Korean). These can get pricey but a number of material and color combinations help reduce the price. To get to Namdaemun, take Line 4 to Hoehyun and follow the crowds, this place is packed on the weekends so pick and choose how you would liek to experience it. P.S. - keep an eye (and nose) open for yachae hotteok, a fried "pancake" stuffed with stir-fried vegetables and spiced glass noodles. The lines for these wrap around the corner so for 70 cents a pop by more than you can eat!

In the Samcheong-dong neighborhood, I saw this whimsical mural on the side of a bakery--perfect for a Francophile Korean sweet-tooth. I became a lover of macarons (NOT to be confused with 'macaroons') when I lived in Paris. I had no idea that the Korean capital would have such a love-affair with these French pastries as well--available throughout the city! Bon appétit! (To get these delicious treats, if you're in Seoul's Bukchon area, check out 'Palette Seoul,' Jong-no-gu, Samcheong-dong, 39-beonji.)

I love eating at the food stalls of Insa Dong Street. This is where ladies of the royal court used to live during the Joseon Dynasty. Don’t miss the Korean sweet pancakes, fish cakes, and spicy rice cakes. Insa Dong is also known for its classic teahouses. —Heong Soon Park Photo by Kjunstorm/Flickr. This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

Seoul's Insadong district is one of the best locations for arts and antiques browsing in the Korean capital. On nice days, especially weekends, artisans demonstrate their traditional crafts on the sidewalks--the street turns into another of the city's outdoor markets. With so much manufactured for the souvenir trade, it was refreshing to see this 'haraboji' (respectful Korean term for 'grandfather') painting his fans, one by one, inkstone at his feet--a bit of unlikely art, still slowly painted with bamboo brushes, as smart-phone-wielding city-dwellers rush by... Artists his age have seen Seoul transform itself from the bombed-out ruins of the Korean War (1950-1953) into one of the most Internet-connected cities on Earth; just 30 miles from the world's most heavily fortified border, the DMZ, twenty million people call this metropolitan area home. To get here by subway: Line 3, exit #6 from Anguk station; Line 5, exit #5 from Jongno 3-ga station.

I go to Dongdaemun Market (Dongdaemun Stadium Station) to see how the locals live. The market is made up of 26 shopping malls over multiple blocks. There are more than 5,000 shops. You can find everything from food to clothing to electronic goods here. —Heong Soon Park Photo by d'n'c'/Flickr. This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

"Korea--it gets under your skin," she said, with her Scando-Slavic English. My wife and I had struck up a conversation with the only other person resting in the pavilion's shade on this summer afternoon in Seoul, in the garden of the new National Museum. She was--is--a Finnish expat, who came with her Polish husband when he got a job in the South Korean capital several years ago. After walking all morning through galleries ranging from Neolithic to Neo-confucian, it felt so good to rest our feet. And so we sat by the pond reflecting the world's sixth-largest museum. The pavilion has an octagonal roof covered in green celadon tiles. Looking up at the symmetrical ceiling is almost hypnotic. The last time I'd been to Seoul was nearly twenty years ago; expats, aside from diplomats and U.S. military, were rare then. Not any more. The city is full of French bakeries. Indonesians in head-scarves are common in the subways... and under an octagonal roof, with cranes presiding, a Finnish woman telling us about how she loves the 'passion' of Korean culture, and how she does not miss the spice-less-ness of northern European food...complaining about how difficult it is to "meet people here..." But then saying, "yes, hard to just make friends with strangers, unless you are introduced by somebody. Once that happens, then you're in."

In the middle of a metropolitan area of twenty million, Seoul's historic Bukchon neighborhood has kept a traditional village feel. "Hanok"--traditional courtyard houses, with upswept tile roofs and latticed sliding doors--line the hilly streets. Some of them have been opened as small guesthouses. After a transpacific flight, and then a bus-ride into the city (from the new airport, built on reclaimed land in the Yellow Sea), I walked a few blocks, up narrow lanes, through a wooden gate, and felt as if I'd stepped back into the Korean countryside of a century ago. A rooster and a rabbit shared the courtyard, filled with hydrangeas and herbs. A persimmon tree towered overhead. My room had sliding papered doors; simple--just a low bed and table, no TV...but free wi-fi! The friendly owner, whose family lives in one wing of the house, showed me the hot water machine where I could make instant ginseng-tea and 'ko-pi.' Not all hanok lodgings are so spartan: behind the main courtyard of this house, a 'sarang-chae' is also available to stay in--it's like a mini-house (or 'casita'), with its own private garden: rustic luxury. While staying here, I met an Israeli man and his Japanese wife on their way back to the Middle East as well as a couple of professors of Indian languages from Seattle on their way to New Delhi. Bukchon is becoming more widely known as one of Asia's urban gems. (For more information: http://www.seoul110.com/html_en/1.html)

Seaweed soup for supper? In Korea, 'mee-yeok'--a kind of edible kelp--is a common base for a delicious, hearty soup. While walking along the seawall on my first evening along the NE coast of Korea, I saw this 'halmoni' (respectful Korean term for grandmother/older woman) harvesting some of the sea's bounty...Dinner in Sokcho...

You don't need to go to back alleys or historic markets (although those are great!) to sample traditional snacks in Korea; almost all the major boulevards in the center sprout mini-kitchens, set up on the sidewalk even across from chic western-style businesses. Here, next to an artisanal French pâtisserie and across from a café (Seoul is caffeinated and macaron-crazed), I sampled 'kim-mah-ree'--sweet potato noodles wrapped in seaweed, dipped in tempura batter, then deep-fried. Sizzling oil speaks all languages!

Where the East China Sea meets the Yellow Sea, a subtropical island holds on to its traditions. Jeju-do, off the southwastern tip of the Korean peninsula, is home to the "haenyo," or 'women-of-the-sea.' These hardy divers continue a centuries-old tradition--no tanks on their five-and-six-story dives beneath the surface--just their lungs and determination as they gather urchins, abalone, and whatever else is edible...Only a few thousand of these divers remain, mostly in their 50's and 60's--don't mess with these grannies! The younger generation of the island's women no longer seek to make a living by following in their grandmothers' wet footsteps. Jeju-do's culture and dialect are distinct from mainland Korea; tea and tangerine plantations, along with UNESCO world heritage sites, dot the volcanic landscape. (You can hike in the world's longest underground lava tube.) And so-fresh-it's-scary seafood is available everywhere... One of the best, and most popular, places to see these haenyo at work is at the eastern tip of the island, in the cove beneath the Seongsan Ilchulbong crater, also known as 'sunrise peak.' Give them leeway when they emerge from the sea; they're hard at work...